Are Capistrano Unified Employees Adequately Paid?

State Law requires school districts to fund the following minimum curriculum for every student:

California Education Code Section 51210 defines the minimum mandated course offerings that Districts must provide to all students in grades 1-6: 51210. (a) The adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, shall include instruction, beginning in grade 1 and continuing through grade 6, in the following areas of study:

(1) English, including knowledge of, and appreciation for literature and the language, as well as the skills of speaking,reading, listening, spelling, handwriting, and composition.

(2) Mathematics, including concepts, operational skills, and problem solving.

(3) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils.Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; contemporary issues; and the wise use of natural resources.

(4) Science, including the biological and physical aspects, with emphasis on the processes of experimental inquiry an on the place of humans in ecological systems.

(5) Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression. (emphasis added)

(6) Health, including instruction in the principles and practices of individual, family, and community health.

(7) Physical education, with emphasis upon the physical activities for the pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10 schooldays, exclusive of recess and the lunch period.

(8) Other studies that may be prescribed by the governing board.

California Education Code Section 51220 defines the minimum mandated course offerings that Districts must provide to all students in grades 7-12: 51220. The adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, shall offer courses in the following areas of study:

(a) English, including knowledge of and appreciation for literature, language, and composition, and the skills of reading, listening, and speaking.

(b) (1) Social sciences, drawing upon the disciplines of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science,psychology, and sociology, designed to fit the maturity of the pupils. Instruction shall provide a foundation for understanding the history, resources, development, and government of California and the United States of America; instruction in our American legal system, the operation of the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, and the rights and duties of citizens under the criminal and civil law and the State and Federal Constitutions; the development of the American economic system, including the role of the entrepreneur and labor; the relations of persons to their human and natural environment; eastern and western cultures and civilizations; human rights issues, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide, slavery, and the Holocaust, and contemporary issues. (2) For purposes of this subdivision, genocide may include the Armenian Genocide. The “Armenian Genocide” means the torture,starvation, and murder of 1,500,000 Armenians, which included death marches into the Syrian desert, by the rulers of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the exile of more than 500,000 innocent people during the period from 1915 to 1923, inclusive.

(c) Foreign language or languages, beginning not later than grade 7, designed to develop a facility for understanding, speaking, reading, and writing the particular language.

(d) Physical education, with emphasis given to physical activities that are conducive to health and to vigor of body and mind, as required by Section 51222.

(e) Science, including the physical and biological aspects, with emphasis on basic concepts, theories, and processes of scientific investigation and on the place of humans in ecological systems, and with appropriate applications of the interrelation and interdependence of the sciences.

(f) Mathematics, including instruction designed to develop mathematical understandings, operational skills, and insight into problem-solving procedures.

(g) Visual and performing arts, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts, with emphasis upon development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression. (Emphasis Added)

(h) Applied arts, including instruction in the areas of consumer and homemaking education, industrial arts, general business education, or general agriculture.

(i) Career technical education designed and conducted for the purpose of preparing youth for gainful employment in the occupations and in the numbers that are appropriate to the personnel needs of the state and the community served and relevant to the career desires and needs of the pupils.

(j) Automobile driver education, designed to develop a knowledge of the provisions of the Vehicle Code and other laws of this state relating to the operation of motor vehicles, a proper acceptance of personal responsibility in traffic, a true appreciation of the causes, seriousness, and consequences of traffic accidents, and to develop the knowledge and attitudes necessary for the safe operation of motor vehicles. A course in automobile driver education shall include education in the safe operation of motorcycles.

(k) Other studies as may be prescribed by the governing board.

The Capistrano Unified School District is relying on fundraising and donations to pay for Art, Music, Science, Instructional Aids, Nurses, Counselors, Librarians, Teacher Salaries and Release Time etc-

Many schools are no longer able to fundraise for all of this; and sadly, we have schools that no longer have an art or music program. We have the highest class sizes in the nation, and facilities that have not been maintained for years.

Unfortunately - when funding is not sufficient, the lack of funding pits what is in the best interest of students against what is in the economic interest of employees.

Do you reduce class sizes and restore art and music? or Do you give employees compensation increases?
Average compensation for teachers has gone from $95,673 in 2012-13 to $105,304 in 2013-14 to $108,392 in 2014-15.



The proposed budget for 2016-17 has the following employee compensation increases already built in: Step & Column Salary Increases, Increased contributions to CalSTRS and CalPERS, increased health, welfare and statutory benefits.

CUSD currently has no plans to fund a visual and performing arts curriculum for every student, no plans to reduce class sizes, and no plans to fix aging facilities unless taxpayers agree to a bond. If employees get everything they want (negotiations are not complete) Compensation will be over 90% of CUSD’s budget.

Source: At page 135 http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1218998819331/1218998864154/5254490601842466989.pdf Note: It is not good business practice to spend one-time money on an on-going expense like compensation. The District is budgeting gift revenues for salary expenses.

Source: page 165 http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1218998819331/1218998864154/5254490601842466989.pdf

Are Employees Fairly Compensated?

State Wide Average Compensation For Unified School Districts Source: California Department of Education Average Salaries & Expenditures Percentages

How Does Capistrano Unified Compare to the State Wide Average?
Salary Schedule Certificated Teachers: http://cusdjobs-capousd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1235192779485/1218998864154/9022361932159279936.pdf


Salary Schedule for Certificated Management: http://cusdjobs-capousd-ca.schoolloop.com/file/1235192779485/1218998864154/6238083744466285109.pdf


Unfunded Pension Liabilities have gone from $49 million in 2013-14 to $57 million today.

What is the Solution?

The State of California is enjoying record high revenues, currently over $117 billion dollars. The State has the money to adequately fund a quality education for every student but is choosing not to fund K-12 public schools. The Public needs to stand up for our children, and demand that the State provide our students with the funding they are entitled to.

California’s Local Control Funding Law limits K-12 per pupil funding to 2007-08 levels by 2021. In 2007-08 California Revenues were $105 billion - today they are at $117 billion.

Source:
http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1218998819331/1218998864154/5254490601842466989.pdf


If funding is to remain flat for what will amount to 14 years straight- employees cannot expect annual compensation increases. The math does not work.

We need more funding from the State of California- it’s time to demand our fair share. Learn more- http://peopleforstudentrights.com/

The California Constitution gives education funding a unique priority above all other state funding obligations by requiring:

“from all state revenues there shall first be set apart the monies to be applied by the State for support of the public school system...” Cal. Const. art. XVI, §8. (Emphasis added)